Training on Planning and Design of Smart Linear Infrastructure for Biodiversity Protection
While nations pursue this vision, they also face challenges in terms of managing and mitigating negative impacts of infrastructure projects. This training provides an overview of the ecological effects of linear transportation infrastructure and evidence-based measures to avoid, mitigate and minimize impacts. The course aims to train practitioners on integrating knowledge and practice between engineering and ecological sciences to improve understanding of interactions between transportation systems and natural systems. The course promotes green engineering measures that address negative impacts of transportation systems on the environment and stimulate innovative means of ecologically sustainable transportation infrastructure in Nepal and neighbouring countries.
The program of the 3-day training course (a hybrid event with in-person and virtual participants) is shared below.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Current practitioners working in transport infrastructure development, project planning and management, biodiversity assessment, environment safeguards, GIS and information technology. Practitioners may include government officials responsible for planning, design, construction and maintenance of linear transport infrastructure, consultants (engineering and environmental), academicians, NGOs, financial lending institutions and individual experts (engineers, wildlife ecologists).
In-person participants are officials from key departments under the Government of Nepal such as the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MOPIT), Department of Roads (DOR), Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) and Ministry of Finance. Virtual participants are practitioners from other ADB Developing Member Countries (DMC).
LEARNING OBJECTIVES and KEY TAKE-AWAYS
DAY 1
Day 1 will provide an overview and context of roads and biodiversity conservation in Asia and specifically Nepal. While roads play a critical role in pursuing sustained growth, they also cause a myriad of impacts on the ecological and physical environment. During the last two decades science-based solutions have been developed to reduce these impacts. International and national legislation and agreements on nature conservation and transportation infrastructure impacts and Nepal’s plans for transport infrastructure will be discussed to provide a solid foundation for the learning process and practice.
TAKE-AWAYS
- Roads are critical to sustainable development, however, they oftentimes cause many ecological effects that influence the natural and physical environment.
- Conservation of biodiversity and ecological corridors are critical for long-term survival of wildlife populations.
- Linear infrastructure safeguards in Asia: How well are we doing?
DAY 2
Biodiversity baseline assessments a critical part of mitigation planning of transportation infrastructure projects. Day 2 will cover data collection needs and web-based data collection tools for data-sharing and analysis to support long-term environmental management, strengthen governance and institutional capacity. Addressing climate change impacts through nature-based solutions and managing cumulative impacts will also be covered.
TAKE-AWAYS
- Many online data resources and tools are available for assessing the impacts of linear infrastructure on wildlife and environment.
- How to plan and design road mitigation at different landscape scales
- Applying nature-based solutions enhance climate resilience of the transport infrastructure
DAY 3
Lessons learned from relevant projects can expand adoption of proven measures to mitigate road impacts on biodiversity. Day 3 will draw heavily on case studies in road infrastructure vis-a-vis mitigation in Asia. It will also take a closer look on the economic and financial benefits of ecologically friendly features and need to for analyzing cumulative impacts of multiple infrastructure projects located nearby. Infrastructure projects are on the rise and regional conservation will require a coordinated strategy.
In the final session (afternoon), a group exercise will allow participants to identify the main challenges and needs for greening Nepal’s transport infrastructure and develop an action plan to promote ecologically sustainable transport infrastructure.
TAKE-AWAYS
- Lessons from relevant projects can help inform current and planned interventions with similar conservation challenges
- Adoption of ecologically friendly features also bring financial and economic benefits
- Transportation infrastructure projects do not occur in isolation and must therefore consider cumulative impacts of other infrastructure nearby that are already existing and planned for future construction.
| Date | Session / Activity | Presentation Material | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Apr 2022 | Video |
[VIDEO] Training on Planning and Design of Smart Linear Infrastructure for Biodiversity Protection Day 1 Day 1 webinar recording |
|
| 25 Apr 2022 | Introductory Session | Transportation and Roads: Overview and Context | (Moderators) Shushil Babu Dhakal, Department of Roads, Nepal | Bhupendra Bhatt, Senior Project Officer, ADB Nepal |
| 25 Apr 2022 | Introduction & Welcome | Welcome Remarks | Rabindra N. Shrestha, Secretary, Min. of Physical Infra. & Transport | Er. Shiva H. Sapkota, Dir. General, Dept. of Roads | Bruce Dunn, Director, Safeguards Division, SDCC, ADB |
| 25 Apr 2022 | Session 1 |
Biodiversity Conservation, Ecological Corridors and Transportation Infrastructure in Nepal Nepal is host to a rich biodiversity, with about 212 species of mammals, 887 species of birds, 177 species of herpeto-fauna, and 220 species of birds. ... |
Baburam Lamichhane |
| 25 Apr 2022 | Session 2 |
Ecological Effect of Roads: Science and Practice As population and economies grow, the world is experiencing unprecedented growth in the construction of linear infrastructure including roads. Twenty ... |
Rodney van der Ree |
| 25 Apr 2022 | Q&A | Open Forum 1 | Moderators |
| 25 Apr 2022 | ***TEA BREAK*** | ||
| 25 Apr 2022 | Session 3 |
Transportation Infrastructure in Nepal: Current and Future Planning Nepal is experiencing growth and along with this is the increasing pressure to build more linear infrastructure. Ninety percent of goods and passengers... |
Sushil Babu Dhakal |
| 25 Apr 2022 | Session 4 |
National and International Legislation & Agreements on Nature Conservation with Implications for Linear Infrastructure Projects Committed to sustainable development and the protection of the environment and biodiversity, Nepal is a party to more than 165 international agreements... |
Bishwa Nath Oli |
| 25 Apr 2022 | Session 5 |
Bioengineering: Soils, Slope Stabilization and Hydrology in Linear Infrastructure The design and planning for linear infrastructure should consider the unique characteristics of each location /landscape. For example,specific bioengineering... |
Gordon Keller |
| 25 Apr 2022 | Q&A | Open Forum 2 | Moderators |
| 25 Apr 2022 | Site Visit 1 | Site Visit: Narayanghat-Butwal (NB) Road |
| Date | Session / Activity | Presentation Material | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Apr 2022 | Video |
[VIDEO] Training on Planning and Design of Smart Linear Infrastructure for Biodiversity Protection Day 2 Day 2webinar recording |
|
| 26 Apr 2022 | Day 2: Introductory Session | Practices and Science Based Solutions - An Introduction | (Moderators) Rakesh Maharjan, ADB Nepal Resident Mission | Yubraj Dhakal, Department of Roads, Nepal |
| 26 Apr 2022 | Session 6 |
Practices of EIA in Nepal As a developing country, Nepal has been taking great measures in environmental protection and management including the requirements for EIA, which was... |
Prakash Gaudel |
| 26 Apr 2022 | Session 7 |
Impacts of Transportation Infrastructure on Biodiversity in Asia The world is a highly paved planet. By 2050, there will be about 5 million kilometers of new road lanes and 300,000 kilometers of new railway tracks. ... |
Rob Ament |
| 26 Apr 2022 | Session 8 |
Current Practices and Design for Mitigating Road Impacts on Wildlife Populations Mitigating road impacts on wildlife populations require innovative design and practices. Crossing structures have been observed to be more effective than... |
Anthony Clevenger |
| 26 Apr 2022 | Session 9 |
Baseline Biodiversity Assessment and Safeguard Planning: Data Needs, Analyses and Outputs (The Narayanghat-Hetauda-Patlaiya Experience) Planning for and maintenance of linear infrastructure requires gathering of baseline data and continuous monitoring. The Baseline Biodiversity Assessment... |
Clara Grilo |
| 26 Apr 2022 | Session 10 |
Web-based Tools for Baseline Biodiversity Assessment and Stakeholder Engagement: The Narayanghat-Hetauda-Patlaiya & Narayanghat-Butwal Road Experiences Following an overview onBaseline Biodiversity Assessment (BBA), this session deepens the appreciation of the use ofweb-based tools for BBA and stakeholder... |
Benjamin Dorsey |
| 26 Apr 2022 | Q&A | Open Forum 3 | Moderators |
| 26 Apr 2022 | ***TEA BREAK*** | ||
| 26 Apr 2022 | Session 11 |
Applying Nature-based Solutions to Conserve Natural Capital and Achieve Climate Resilience Linear infrastructureprojects need to support andtake advantage of natural capital, as well as help build resilience against climate change.Clearly, each... |
Gordon Keller |
| 26 Apr 2022 | Session 12 |
Managing Multiple Linear Infrastructure Impacts As Asia experiences unprecedented economic growth, much of the region’s natural landscapes are threatened by the rapid expansion of linear infrastructure... |
Asha Rajvanshi |
| 26 Apr 2022 | Q&A | Open Forum 4 | Moderators |
| 26 Apr 2022 | ***LUNCH BREAK*** | ||
| 26 Apr 2022 | Site Visit 2 | Site Visit: Narayanghat – Mugling Road Project and Narayanghat-Hetauda-Patlaiya Road |
| Date | Session / Activity | Presentation Material | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Apr 2022 | Video |
[VIDEO] Training on Planning and Design of Smart Linear Infrastructure for Biodiversity Protection Day 3 Day 3 webinar recording |
|
| 27 Apr 2022 | Day 3: Introductory Session | Exemplary Initiatives and Performance Evaluation | (Moderators) Deepak Bahadur Singh, ADB NRM Shova Bhandari, MOPIT |
| 27 Apr 2022 | Case Study 1 | Design & Monitoring: Nagpur India, NH-7 (Tiger Crossing Structures) | Bilal Habib, Conservation Biologist, Wildlife Institute of India |
| 27 Apr 2022 | Case Study 2 |
Design – India: NH-37 East West Highway, Kaziranga NP, Assam India is host to a rich wildlife with an estimated 2,413 rhinoceros in Kaziranga alone. Faced with increasing loss of wildlife due to habitat loss and... |
Shantanoo Bhattacharyya |
| 27 Apr 2022 | Case Study 3 |
Cumulative Impact Assessments and Case Studies Infrastructure development including upgraded highway systems act as trigger for induced development and land use change.Impacts are not just immediate... |
Patricia Cueva del Bueno |
| 27 Apr 2022 | Q&A | Open Forum 5 | Moderators |
| 27 Apr 2022 | ***TEA BREAK*** | ||
| 27 Apr 2022 | Case Study 4 |
Monitoring and Performance Evaluation: Case Study on the Bhutan Road Network Project-II Improvements and innovation in design of linear infrastructure such as roads and bridges are observed to be beneficial to wildlife crossings. This is ... |
Karma Chogyel |
| 27 Apr 2022 | Session 13 |
Economics of Transportation Infrastructure: Balancing Needs of Biodiversity Conservation and Costs Economic analysis tools are important instruments that support decision making for infrastructure development including rural roads. The use of these ... |
Kim Bonine |
| 27 Apr 2022 | Q&A | Open Forum 6 | Moderators |
| 27 Apr 2022 | ***LUNCH BREAK*** | ||
| 27 Apr 2022 | Dialogue | Dialogue on Addressing Obstacles for Planning, Designing and Operating Smart Green Linear Infrastructure in Nepal | Moderators |
| 27 Apr 2022 | Closing Session (for in-person participants) | Closing Remarks | Er. Shiva Hari Sapkota, Director General, Department of Roads, Nepal | Rudi Louis Hendrikus Van Dael, Head, Portfolio Management Unit, ADB Nepal Resident Mission |